Wine Racking Solutions: Planning Racks for Unusual Botlles

By: Perry Sims

Visit any wine shop with a decent inventory and you'll find wine sold in many bottle shapes and sizes [see Common Bottle Shapes and Bottle Sizes charts, below].

While the so-called full or standard 750-ml (25-oz.) Bordeaux- or Burgundy-style bottles still rule the shelves, even their shapes have changed as wineries increasingly seek to distinguish their labels from one another for marketing purposes and competitive advantage. Tapered, ultra-thin, and square-based bottles, along with those that hold 1.5 liters (50 oz.) and 3.0 liters (100 oz.)-or even more-have become more common in recent years. There are even production wines sold in plastic bladders packed into cardboard boxes.

Mount the cellar's air refrigeration system at the highest point in the room. Cool air sinks, and a high mount will keep the temperature constant throughout the space. Very narrow areas in understairs cellars are a good choice for horizontal-display shelves. Each shelf needs four inches (10 cm) of depth.

Bottles in unique shapes and sizes are the exceptions to the rules of design that wreak havoc on racking systems. While custom-built shelves or racks or bins can accommodate larger-volume bottles, odd-sized bottles present the greatest challenge-especially for off-the-shelf racking systems and individual bottle racks designed primarily to store standard bottles. These bottles are difficult to store in positions that will keep their corks moist, yet in conditions that are stable and secure.

Examine recent additions to your wine collection and try to anticipate future needs as you plan a wine racking solution for your cellar. If your collection contains many bottles in unusual shapes or sizes, consider devoting part of the space to bins or shelves instead of individual bottle racks, and use them to store and display your unusual bottles.

Diamond racking's appealing look conceals its waste of space. Since diamond modules are typically 12 or 16 inches (30 or 40 cm) wide, they hold either 9 or 16 bottles. Neither size fits case-sized lots that contain 12 bottles.

Finally, remember that of all the features of your wine cellar, racking is the most adaptable to future change. Should you tadiscover that some bins or shelves are gathering dust, reconfigure your storage.

Bottle Shapes and Sizes

Wine bottles come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  Though most open-air wine collections and displays feature standard, 750-ml Bordeaux and Burgundy-style bottles, commercial wine racking systems may not accommodate all of their different shapes, much less those of less-standard bottles. Take inventory of your collection and try to anticipate future wine purchases and preferences when you plan your wine racking solution.

Bottle Type	Length	Diameter
Bordeaux	11.5" (292 mm)	3" (75 mm)
Burgundy	11.5” (292 mm)	3.25” (83 mm)
Rhine	14” (356 mm)	2.75” (70 mm)
Chianti fiasco	10.5” (267 mm)	4” (102 mm)
Bocksbeutel	8.5” (216 mm)	6” (152 mm)
Port or Sherry*	11.5” (292 mm)	3.5” (89 mm)
Champagne/sparkling wine	12.5” (318 mm)	3.25” (83 mm)

Sizes vary considerably.

Bottle Sizes 

Bottle	Volume	Dimensions (Length x Diameter)
Quarter Bottle	187 ml (6 oz.)	7” × 2” (178 × 50 mm)
Half Bottle/Split	375 ml (13 oz.)	9.5” × 2.25” (241 × 57 mm)
Full or Standard Bottle	750 ml (25 oz.)	11.5” × 3” (292 × 75 mm)
Magnum	1.5 liters (50 oz.)	13.5” × 4” (343 × 102 mm)
Jeroboam*	3 liters (100 oz.)	18” × 5” (457 × 127 mm)
Methuselah*	6 liters (200 oz.)	22.25“ × 6” (565 × 152 mm)
Salmanazar*	9  liters (300 oz.)	27.5” × 7” (699 × 178 mm)
Balthazar*	12 liters (400 oz.)	29” × 8” (737 × 203 mm)
Nabuchadnezzar*	16 liters (540 oz.)	34” × 9” (864 × 228 mm)

  *Referred to as Indian or biblical names in the wine trade.
   Sizes may vary .

From the book The Home Wine Cellarby Perry Sims et al. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by arrangement with Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group,www.perseusbooks.com. All rights reserved.